The former Bethlehem Catholic quarterback will be playing his first game in the Lehigh Valley since 2002.

Adam Bednarik remembers with some sadness the last football game he played in the Lehigh Valley.

He was the starting quarterback for Bethlehem Catholic in the 2002 District 11 4A championship game.

"That was a heartbreaking loss to Parkland," Bednarik said, remembering the 14-11 setback that ended Becahi's season at 11-1 and sent the Trojans and Austin Scott on to the PIAA 4A championship.

On Sunday at 4 p.m., Bednarik will be making his first start in an area football game since that district contest as he leads the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks against the Knoxville Nighthawks at Stabler Arena.

It's the home opener for the third season of Steelhawks indoor football, and their first in a new league.

After two seasons in the Indoor Football League, the Steelhawks are now members of the seven-team Professional Indoor Football League.

Their PIFL debut last Friday resulted in a disappointing 29-28 loss to the Alabama Hammers when the 'Bama team scored on a hook-and-ladder play as time expired.

Bednarik labeled that a "heartbreaking loss," but unlike that defeat to Parkland, there's still a lot of games left to put that one behind him and his team.

Playing in an arena-styled league for the first time since 2009 with the Albany Firebirds, Bednarik performed well in Alabama.

He completed 21 of 31 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns and showed no signs of rust. He had just one interception on a ball that slipped out of his hand.

"Having one year of arena experience is big for me," Bednarik said. "The rules here a lot like what I had in the AFL with Albany. Overall, there's always improvements you can make. There was one or two plays where I missed reads and didn't really trust it, and we've worked on a lot of things this week."

Bednarik noted that this is a faster game than the one played outdoors.

"You have to make your reads quick and get rid of the ball," he said.

Steelhawks coach Chris Thompson said that Bednarik played well in his first game back in organized football.

"It wasn't a bad first night for him in a new league, a new arena and with a lot of new teammates," Thompson said. "He spread the well around to our receivers and did a lot of nice things."

Thompson said that Bednarik will split time at quarterback with new acquisition Hunter Wanket, a Central Connecticut State product, who has considerable indoor experience.

"We've got two good ones; two guys we can win a championship with in Hunter and Adam," Thompson said. "That's a great thing to have from a coach's perspective and a team perspective."

Having someone local fans know at quarterback should be a boost for the Steelhawks. Bednarik went from Bethlehem Catholic to West Virginia where he had a successful, but injury-plagued college career.

In the fall, he is back on the sideline as an assistant coach at Freedom and works in the autistic support room in the special education department of the Bethlehem Area School District.

But Bednarik still has competition in his blood.

"I'm happy to be playing again," he said. "I'm excited. I grew up with sports. I've been playing my whole life. This is what I love to do."

And, he's especially happy to be doing it again in front of friendly faces.

"I've got a lot of family and friends coming to this game and it's going to be great to play in front of them again," Bednarik said. "But the most important thing is to get us a win."

Bednarik says there's a lot of chemistry and camaraderie on this team, and a lot of positives to build around. The return of wide receiver Troy Pascley, a former University of Louisville standout, will be another positive.

"We were 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions, which showed our poise," he said. "Our defense was great, creating a lot of turnovers."

The defense figures to be improved on Sunday with the return of defensive back Marvin Johnson, an Oregon product who played for Chip Kelly and the Ducks against Cam Newton in the BCS title game in January of 2011.

Johnson had a stellar season with the Steelhawks in 2012, but missed last week's season opener because of a groin injury.

"I see a lot of progress with this team," Johnson said. "Our training camp this year was much better than last year. There was a lot more intensity, a lot more passion. Off the field, we have done a lot of team bonding. We're more of a unit and everybody's competing hard.."

Johnson said it hard to watch the team depart without him for Alabama.

"That was painful," he said. "I am ready to come out and perform on Sunday and let them know I am still the same MJ I was last year."

Even though it's St. Patrick's Day, Selection Sunday and an unusual day and time for a game, the Steelhawks anticipate a robust crowd for the opener.

"Whenever you can play in your home arena with the Noise Nation fan group, it's exciting and we've got some great things planned," Thompson said. "It's a free T-shirt giveaway night, it's Dollar Dog night and we've got a 50-point challenge with Domino's. We've got a lot of good stuff happening, but we've also got a young, exciting football team to watch and they're ready to put on a good show."